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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27163598">A Darker Perspective</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous'>Ononymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Undertale Anniversary Requests 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Deltarune (Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Post-Deltarune, Post-Deltarune Chapter One</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:27:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,783</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27163598</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There's studying hard, and there's studying smart. Well, they're the same thing according to Berdly. But a stranger at QC's might just disabuse him of that idea...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Undertale Anniversary Requests 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924747</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Darker Perspective</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The corridor had been completely still for eighteen hours by now. It was the standard fate of a school at the weekend. But not lonely. School corridors, being inanimate constructs with no sense of self, were immune to that emotional imbalance. The stillness also carried a lot of silence, naturally. But not for long.</p>
<p>"...still so dark. How do I- <em>Oof!</em>"</p>
<p>The closet door in between two classrooms banged. Then the handle rattled and opened, and a bundle of green tumbled out.</p>
<p>"<em>Ouch!</em> Oh... Wow... It's so bright..."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"...and then I said to him, 'Well you're only taking two prep classes, clearly that's not enough to rise to the top!'"</p>
<p>Jockington wrapped his tail around his soda to finish it off. "Ha ha, good one Berd!"</p>
<p>The two friends were having a, well, 'lazy' afternoon wouldn't be strictly true, but Berdly had deigned a break from his studies important, so they sat in a crowded QC's enjoying the amiable mood of the customers and exchanging anecdotes both boys had been present for, like comrades in arms after the war that is high school.</p>
<p>"Hey," said Jockington, "remember when Alphys was sick and that sub teacher came in?"</p>
<p>"Mister Doggo? Yeah, he was an odd fellow. He marked everyone but Suzie absent because he couldn't see us until we kicked up a fuss. And he only saw her first time around because she flipped him off." Berdly adjusted his glasses. "He shouldn't be too proud to use these. Anything that helps you do your best, right?"</p>
<p>"Yeah yeah, so you say, dude. Still, I liked how he got down to business, you know?"</p>
<p>Berdly pecked at his fries. "Absolutely. Told us the facts, no more no less. Alphys can get so waffly with all that context she insists on giving us. We'd have finished the curriculum by now if we had him full time."</p>
<p>"Well you might. And Noelle too. Can't say the same for Temmie. She'd beg him to slow down because she's thinking about those comics."</p>
<p>"Hmph, you're probably right," said Berdly. "A shame the school doesn't have a gifted stream. The creaking budget of a small town, I guess. Otherwise you and I might have been out of here last year.</p>
<p>"Uh, yeah," said Jockington, eyes well hidden behind his shades. "Hey man, I gotta grab some milk from Sans's on my way home, talk to you later?"</p>
<p>"Sure," said Berdly, "I'll probably be hitting the books again soon anyway. See you Monday?"</p>
<p>"Yup. Later!"</p>
<p>Jockington slid onto the floor and slithered out the door. At the same time he left, someone entered and passed Berdly, who was still pecking at his fries. He paid the newcomer no mind until the sound of the name 'Kris' caught his attention, and he looked up to see someone in an overlarge green hoodie that strangely peaked at two points, talking to the rabbit working the till.</p>
<p>"Kris? Kris Dreemurr, you mean?" She shook her head, long ears twitching in thought. "Can't say I know where exactly they are right now, hun, but I know where they live. What's it to you, anyway?"</p>
<p>"Oh," said the hoodie, sounding dejected. "Well what about Suzie, do you know where she is?"</p>
<p>Another head shake. "Prying into her business gets you a whole lot of attitude I couldn't care less about. Sorry kid. Now, you ordering?"</p>
<p>"Am I? Okay..." He reached in his pocket and pulled out some coins, his hands entirely swallowed by the sleeves of the hoodie. "What would this get me?"</p>
<p>She picked up a dull grey disc and eyed it narrowly. "Is this a joke, son? This is plastic. Toy money."</p>
<p>"It is?" The hoodie adjusted something on his head. "But I used it to buy something earlier today."</p>
<p>"You're running quite the con, then," she said, growing colder, "and I don't want any part of that. Either give me some real cash or I'll have to ask you to leave."</p>
<p>"But I-"</p>
<p>"It's alright," said Berdly, walking up from his table, "I'll cover what he gets."</p>
<p>The rabbit looked taken aback at the unexpected kindness. "Alrighty then Berdly. So what'll it be, son?"</p>
<p>The hoodie turned to face Berdly, his face in shadow except for the vague outline of green rimmed glasses. "What would you recommend, sir?"</p>
<p>"...a cheesburger, maybe?"</p>
<p>"Oh, okay!" The stranger sounded a lot happier. "One cheeseburger please!"</p>
<p>Five minutes later Berdly sat across from the visitor at his table, watching him examine the meal uncertainly. It was strange. He wasn't that short really, maybe his own height, but the oversized jacket made him look smaller than he was. A heart emblem was sewn onto the chest, and the zips were bright pink for some reason. The visitor finally took a bite. Berdly could hear cautious chewing.</p>
<p>"Hey, this is really good! Thanks, Mister...! Um, sorry, I don't know your name."</p>
<p>"Berdly. And you are...?"</p>
<p>"Oh, I'm Pr- uh, Ralsei. Just Ralsei."</p>
<p>The name got Berdly's attention, but he didn't know why. "Well it's no problem, Ralsei. It's important to help out people in trouble."</p>
<p>"Yeah," Ralsei nodded, "you're right!"</p>
<p>"Yes yes, it paints a good image. And one needs that these days. But there was something else too. I was curious: Why are you asking about Kris and Suzie?"</p>
<p>"Do you know them?"</p>
<p>"They're in my class. But they're not in town this weekend. I heard Suzie talk about how Kris' father was taking them camping near Mount Botet."</p>
<p>"Oh..." Ralsei slumped in his chair. "I probably won't get to see them."</p>
<p>"Why not?"</p>
<p>"Well they're my friends. I met them a while ago, but I didn't think I'd get to come visit them, this was kind of last minute. I don't know how long I can stay."</p>
<p>"Until Monday, probably. Unless you're homeschooled. I know my mother considered it for myself, but-"</p>
<p>Ralsei shook his hood. "No, I'll probably have to go pretty soon."</p>
<p>Berdly sniffed. "Then finish your burger. Don't waste my money."</p>
<p>"Oh, sure!"</p>
<p>He watched him carefully nibble away at it over the next ten minutes. Ralsei ate with enthusiasm, but he still demonstrated table manners. It was a combination Berdly could appreciate.</p>
<p>"That was delicious!" Berdly saw the silhouette of his head twist in what might have been a smile. "Thanks again, Mister Berdly. Hey, you know Kris and Suzie well?"</p>
<p>"Hmm? I'd like to think I did."</p>
<p>"Are they your friends?"</p>
<p>"Wellll..." he tilted his wing in a see-saw fashion. "I'm not sure our priorities are compatible to be true companions."</p>
<p>It looked like Ralsei dipped his head slightly, but it wasn't certain. "That's a shame. I think their priorities are great. And they make really good true companions. They helped me out a lot when we met. Just like you did!"</p>
<p>"Like I...? Well yeah, I did. But I always think big picture, Ralsei. They're too wrapped up in the now. It has its benefits of course, but no advanced planning leads to trouble."</p>
<p>"I guess that makes sense." Ralsei grabbed some fries with his sleeve and deposited them into the shadow that was his mouth.</p>
<p>"I'm surprised they're your friends," said Berdly.</p>
<p>"Huh? Why?"</p>
<p>"Well Suzie's going through that phase of adolescent pique I rose above, thinking she doesn't owe the world a thing, like she's too cool to network. That's the easy one. Kris, well... they're not the type to go hunting for friends. Only human in a town of monsters, sometimes that raises a barrier you can't break. I mean, we played with them as children, but after, well, there was a big hullabaloo with their family, they're monsters too, it felt like they gave up. I mean, they can surprise you sometimes, and they followed their brother around everywhere before he left for college, but they're more likely to pull a prank on you than play Super Smashing Fighters. But they don't act lonely. They seem fine with it."</p>
<p>"...maybe they were lonely for so long they didn't notice it anymore."</p>
<p>To Berdly's surprise, he heard sniffles. "Are you crying?"</p>
<p>"Well - *sniff* - I know what it's like. You find yourself somewhere strange, and you're not sure why. You get so used to being alone, and then you make friends and you realise how it felt. Have you ever get a pain you forget about until it's gone?"</p>
<p>Berdly rubbed the small of his back near his tail feathers. "I have bad posture when I'm studying, yeah."</p>
<p>"I think it's like that. But Kris doesn't have to feel like that. They have me, and Suzie too! I'm sure they'll come visit me again, even if I don't see them right now."</p>
<p>"Of course they will. And then the two of them are so busy wasting time they'll flunk out of school and land a dead end job here."</p>
<p>"Don't say that!" Anger was in Ralsei's tone for the first time. "That's a mean thing to say about someone in your class!"</p>
<p>Berdly shook his head. "It's the truth, Ralsei. Look, I'm not a loner, I've got friends. But if I'm not careful I'll fail my classes and have to go to the local college. I know that, Noelle knows that, everyone seems to know that. But those two don't. Angel knows what they whisper about these days, but it isn't exams."</p>
<p>Ralsei's hood tilted slightly. "Are you scared?"</p>
<p>"Scared?"</p>
<p>"Of doing bad in school."</p>
<p>"Well I don't want to fail," said Berdly, finding his voice harder to reign in, "but it's not like I think about it every waking moment."</p>
<p>"...I think you do. You talk about it a lot."</p>
<p>Ralsei's innocent nibbling of a few more fries belied the low grade impact this had on Berdly. With no conscious effort he rewound the conversation he had with Jockington earlier. Anecdotes about school. And how he rose above the challenges and was held back only by systems. Every topic led back to school or studying. Seeing it laid out like that rankled him, and yet... He couldn't stop thinking...</p>
<p>"If you're worried about it," said Ralsei, "that's okay. It sounds a little scary to me. But maybe you can tell your friends. They might not be able to help you fight it, but they'll help you feel better, right?"</p>
<p>"...right."</p>
<p>"Right!" Ralsei maybe-smiled again. "That's what we did. Like when Kris and me were locked up I made sure they didn't eat too much moss-"</p>
<p>"Woah woah woah," Berdly shook his wings, "locked up? What on earth did you get up to?"</p>
<p>"Oh. Um..."</p>
<p>As Berdly blinked, something about Ralsei changed. Like his face had a dumbfounded expression. But it also briefly looked like something was missing. Something... real. As quickly as it happened he flipped back, but Berdly sensed the sudden tension.</p>
<p>"I have to go," he said, getting to his feet. "Thanks for the burger Berdly, tell Kris and Suzie I said hello."</p>
<p>"But what about the-"</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, goodbye!"</p>
<p>Ralsei hurried over to the door and yanked it open. As he did, a gust of wind caught his hood and pulled it back. Berdly heard the squeak of shock, but what really caught his attention were the long white ears.</p>
<p>"Wait, Asriel-?"</p>
<p>A few patrons turned around at the name, just as Berdly realised his mistake. He wasn't as tall, and the horns were all wrong, an odd pink colour like faded red. But still, Berdly followed him outside, just in time to see him dash down the street, in the direction of the school. Without thinking, Berdly started flapping his wings, rising into the air to better follow the shrinking figure with hood restored to its correct position.</p>
<p>"Hey, come back!" He called, "I just wanna ask-"</p>
<p>"<em>HEY!</em> Get down here!"</p>
<p>Berdly almost fell from the air again as he momentarily froze solid, but he quickly resumed flapping. It took all his willpower to look below in the direction of the new voice. Yellow eyes glared at him beneath a blue cap. They followed his slow descent as he landed in front of his accoster.</p>
<p>"You got your license for flying in city limits, punk?!" demanded Officer Undyne. "You aren't the first wannabe falcon I've had to bust for underage soaring!"</p>
<p>"Oh, of c-course, Officer," he said, meekly fumbling in his pocket and presenting his provisional license. She examined it like she was trying to melt it with heat vision.</p>
<p>"Seems to be in order..." she muttered. "Now, were you bothering that kid?"</p>
<p>"What? N-no ma'am, I just wanted to ask him-"</p>
<p>"Then let him be before I write you up!"</p>
<p>Indignation built in his chest. "For what?"</p>
<p>"Backtalk, for one! Or 'public disorder' if we need to put this on paper. You want a call to your parents, mister?"</p>
<p>Ice clutched his heart, and sent it hammering. All feeling of defiance evaporated as he found her over-polished shoes fascinating to look at. "No, Officer."</p>
<p>She shot a grin at him. "That's more like it. Now I suggest you mind your own beeswax, okay? I hate trouble in this town, as you well know. Now get!"</p>
<p>Nodding fiercely, Berdly got. By the time he had the courage to break eye contact with her, Ralsei was long out of sight, and could have been anywhere. But Ralsei no longer mattered, just getting clear of authority's line of sight and out of potential trouble mattered. It was the Drakes' apartment before Berdly started breathing again, and realised he didn't know where he was going. With the source of the trouble long gone, he didn't really have anywhere else to be, so he headed for home, feet firmly planted on the ground. When he opened the door, his mother was where he expected, sitting at the table with her book club's assigned great classic in one hand and a wineglass in the other.</p>
<p>"Hi Mom," he said, quieter than intended.</p>
<p>"Oh, Berdly!" she said, plumage pumping up as she put down the book. "Did you enjoy your little meetup?"</p>
<p>"Oh, yeah!" He sounded much more confident. "It was the perfect time for a break, you know?"</p>
<p>"I agree, sweetie. Nobody wants to burn out before reaching the top." She regarded her son warmly. "You were gone for quite a while though."</p>
<p>"I was? Oh, I was, well I..." Any explanation that involved Undyne felt like a third rail at that moment.</p>
<p>"Well I don't need to know every detail of your life, son," she said, "you're a growing boy, who can make his own decisions. And if you decide that maybe the Holiday girl can be valedictorian instead of you, well, it's a nice gesture. Magnanimous, even. Angel knows she wouldn't have earned it straight with her father like that-"</p>
<p>"I'm not slacking off!" he squawked, adept at reading between the lines.</p>
<p>"Of course you aren't, dear." She picked up the book again and opened it at page seventeen. "Just don't stay up too late trying to catch up."</p>
<p>"Catch... no, Mom. Well, back to study for me anyway."</p>
<p>"Good lad."</p>
<p>His afternoon of study mostly involved returning to his room, sitting back down at his desk, finding his place in the textbook whose notes he had been summarising before calling Jockington, staring blankly at it for fifteen minutes before laying down on his bed to think about the day's events. He found himself thinking non-stop about it.</p>
<p>But what was 'it'? It wasn't the appearance of the stranger. It wasn't his odd clothes or money, or the conversation or the hints of wild adventure or even his uncanny resemblance to Kris' brother that troubled him. It was the trouble Undyne had threatened him with, the fear of consequences that would derail his life. And yet, it wasn't really that fear. The fear itself was reasonable, nobody likes being arrested. It took a long time staring at the corner of his room to truly give his worries form, but what bothered him was the fact that his fear had been gnawing at him the moment he'd stopped studying earlier to go see Jockington. Undyne hadn't caused his fear, she'd amplified it, like his backache had suddenly became a spasm. And yet that spasm was the only reason he remembered it was there at all. He didn't like that feeling, now he was aware of it, how all-consuming the fear of failure was. He wanted to talk to someone. His mother was too busy with page twenty-three of her book to be bothered. So instead he picked up his phone.</p>
<p>"Hello, Noelle?"</p>
<p>"Oh hi, Berdly," came the tinny response, "You still up for working on that project tomorrow?"</p>
<p>"Yeah," he said, "but that's not why I called you..."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Original Suggestion: Ralsei eats a burger</p>
<p>Pastebin version: https://pastebin.com/6gn5ibj7</p>
<p>Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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